Textile machinery



.Aug. 6,11935. F. c. HALE ET AL 2,010,079

TEXTILE MACHINERY Filed Aug. 4, 1935 FRANK C- HAL WILLIAM Hom/mu Patented Aug. 6, 1935 l UNITED ASTATES TEXTILE MACHINERY Frank Corbyn Hale and William Howarth, Spondon, near Derby, England, assignors to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporationl Delaware Aof Application Angus: 4, 193s, serial Nn. 683,620 In Great Britain August 18, 1932 4 Claims. (Cl. 139-13) This invention relates to textile machinery, and particularly to circular looms, the object of the invention being to produce a circular loom capable of high output and a highdegree of 5 control over the type and quality of the fabric produced.

In circular looms, weaving proceeds as a continuous or substantially continuous operation, a plurality of shuttles laying weft progressively round the circle constituted by the warps and formed into sheds accommodating each shuttle, so that `for each cycle of rotation as many wefts can be laid as there are shuttles in the loom. By its freedom from the intermittent operation by which ordinary weaving is carried out, and by its continuous' and progressive laying of weft in the shed, the circularloom oiiers a rapid and eco- Y nomical method of weaving. However, a great diiiculty, militating against high output and even against the general adoption of circular' looms, is that the shuttles have to remain enclosed in the' warp shed, and have therefore to be`supported in position within the shed by means operating through the warps,"y Both from mechanical considerations and because of the necessity for protecting the warps against injury by the shuttle-supporting means, this necessary disposition of the shuttles in the warps has seriously retarded the progress of circular weaving.

One method, however, of supportingthe shuttles without damage to the warps comprises the use of vaned wheels which in rotating pass through awarp sheet and enter recesses in the shuttles where they engage rollers providing abutments to prevent the shuttles and the warps moving simultaneously. On the other side, the shuttle may be supported by a roller engaging a circular race through one warp sheet. Conveniently, such shuttle-supporting wheels oper- 40 ate to hold the shuttles stationary, thereby avoiding the difficulty which might arise with the actiony of centrifugal force were the laying of weft to depend upon rotation of the shuttles. Of course such shuttle holding means may also oper- 45 ate to rotate the shuttles at a `speed. range within which undue centrifugal force does not, arise, and may thus be used in a loom having bothy shuttles and warps rotating in opposite directions `to giveI an output corresponding to the 50 relative rates of rotation of the shuttles and warps. y

`It has been found in practice that the necessity for driving the varied wheels at a suitable speed to enable the vanes to pass through the 55 warps the warps slide over the faces of tbe shuttles results in a rather cumbersome mechanical gearing which requires considerable space for its support and operation. In this -way the number of shuttles which can be accommodated round the periphery of a loom of any particular 5 diameterhas been limited by the necessity for accommodating the driving gear of the shuttleholding means, with the result that a less number of shuttles hashad to be employed than might be considered possible from a consideration of the 10 space available for the shuttles themselves.

As has been pointed out above, the output of the loom depends directly upon the number of shuttlesxxroundy the periphery of the loom, and because of the diiliculty mentioned above it has 15 not been possible to achieve very high outputs on account of the relatively few shuttles which could be properly held in position in the warps.

Furthermore, the limitations imposed bythe necessity for employing shuttle-holding means have entirely preventedthe use of ,oth er than quite a small number of shuttles in circular looms, so that in looms of convenient dimensions as regards space occupied and facility of attention, .about ten shuttles have been found to be the maximum which can be accommodated. Thus while a diameter of three or four feet gives a loom which forms a very practical weaving unit, only relatively low outputs are obtainable vwith this diameter. The invention has for one of its principal objects the modication of circular looms to enable much larger numbers of shuttles, say twenty or twenty-four, to be utilized without interfering with the compactness and convenience of the loom as a weaving unit.

According to the present invention, a circular loom is provided with a number of shuttles, ashaft for each shuttle, vane'wheels on said shaft adapted to penetratethe warps and hold the shuttles in position in the warp sheds, and a plu'. rality of means for driving said shafts, each of said means driving a plurality of shafts. Thus, for example, a series of inter-connected shuttleholding means may be employed which are driven at say four points round the circle. In this way 5 as many shuttles may be supported as can conveniently be arranged to follow each other closely round the loom, subject to the ability4 of the shedding. mechanism to change the shed properly between consecutive shuttles, as will be referred to later.

In this manner, without increasing the complexity of Athe shuttle-holding means or adding to the weight of the gearing involved (a point of considerable importance), the invention enables a circular loom to employ as many as twenty or twenty-four shuttles and still to run at the same speed as or at even higher speeds than looms with a much less number of shuttles. Quite apart, however,y from the output of the loom being increased, an important advantage arises from the use of a larger number of shuttles in that the adaptability of the loom for patterning purposes is enormously increased. This results from the larger number of factors into which the greater number of shuttles can be divided, a twenty-four shuttle loom being capable of a' repeat at intervals of say 2. 3, 4, 6 or 8 shuttles,in accordance with the fabric desired. Thus plain twill or 8- shaft satin may be woven on the loom by suitable adjustment of the shedding mechanism. A twenty shuttle m is particularly suitable for the production of .'i-shaft satin, as well as plain weaves, such as 1:1 and 2:2 and twills.

A convenient form of shuttle-holding mechanism according to the invention comprises a series of shafts carrying the shuttle-engaging vane wheels connected to each other so as to be driven at the same speed, this series of shafts being driven by a single set of gearing. Conveniently, the shafts, each of which lies parallel to its corresponding shuttle, are connected together by a universal joint which can be of a compact nature,

or, if desired, by bevel gearing, suitable guards being provided for protection where the universal joint or bevel gear is exposed. In this way each shaft merely requires to be provided with suitable bearings which can easily be accommodated round the loom circle, while the set of shafts has its common gear occupying very little room. Several such sets together hold all the shuttles in position, there being, however, relatively few driving points required for the sets.

The bearings for the shafts are conveniently formed in pairs carried by a single support adjacent to the connected ends of the shafts. For example, a bracket may be provided which forks at its upper end to form two bearings with a space between to accommodate the universal joint or bevel gear connecting the pair of shafts. At the driving point for the series vof shafts this bracket conveniently forms a bearing for the driving shaft geared at its upper end to one of the shuttleholding shafts` or to two such adjacent shafts, and provided with a. gear at its lower end engaging part of the loom rotating at a suitable speed.

` As stated above. two or more series of interconnected shafts may be provided in the loom, each having'its own drive. Thus, for example, in a loom accommodating twenty shuttles, the driving` may be effected at four points round the loom circle, so that ve shuttles are provided with a common actuating means which can be located at a-point on the loom which does not interfere with the accessibility of the mechanism or`of the shuttles when it is desired to replenish the weft supply. The shuttle-holding shafts `may, however, be all connected together to form such event. Convenient means for this purpose are described in Jabouleys U.- S. Patent No. 1,822,292. By reducing the amount and weight of gear for holding the shuttles, the invention enables the shuttles and their holding gear to be rapidly brought to the speed of the warps even when the loom is running at high speed. and notwithstanding the large number of shuttles required to beset in motion. This is particularly important in looms employing twenty or twenty-four shuttles which in achieving the oui.- put .of a large number of ordinary looms may run at 15, 20, 25 or even more revolutions per minute and `lay up to 500 or more picks per minute each 3 or 4 yards in length. The gearing and shuttle-holding means are conveniently carried on a normally stationary but rotatable member which is freed so as to rotate with the warps when jamming occurs, the jamming being dctected by suitable feeler members, conveniently carried on the shuttles and operating io release the member. 'When stationary, the member permits the driving of the shuttle-holding gears through a gear rotating with the warps, but when freed allows this driving action to cease, the shuttles then rotating with the warps and the vaned wheels not being required lto rotate.

In order to take full advantage of the large `number of shuttles which can be accommodated by the use of the gearing described above. each shuttle should follow as closely as possible tho preceding shuttle and shedding is therefor:i effected at the earliest possible moment to enable this to be effected. Since the shuttles themselves keep the two sheets of warps apart after the warps have been divided to permit the entry of a shuttle, and may even be used to push the warps apart to their fullest extent after they have been separated only to a small degree by the shedding mechanism, it is possible to commence the shedding operation before the warps have left any particular shuttle. In this way the warps can commence to shed before they have reached the rear of the'shuttle, and though they are still kept to the original shed by the shuttle itself, they spring rapidly into the new shed onreaching therear of the shuttle and form immediately a new and opposite shed, either of full width or of sufficient width to enable the succeeding shuttle to enter and push its way between the two sheets. In this way the gap between shuttle and shuttle can be made very small, and the number of shuttles in relation to the periphery of the loom increased to the maximum.

Conveniently, the shuttle body and associated partis, including'the weft spool, are made of light material, such as aluminium. Further, the shuttle body itself is recessed so as to form what is practically a skeleton framework for the spool, and having recesses for engagement by the shuttlc-holding wheels, and bearings for the supporting roller.

By way of example the invention will now be described in greater detail with Vreference to the accompanying drawing, in whichs'l- Y Figure 1 is a planview of the shuttles and driving means therefor according to the present invention, showing also the, shedding means.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are front elevations of shuttles showing the manner in which shedding is e'ected.

Figure 5 is a view of the gearing for the shuttle driving means, and'V Figuresv and-"1V are side elevation and front elevation respectively of a shuttle of light con- -a,o1o,o'ra

'struction suitable for the purposes of the invention.

Referring to Figure 1, a part plan view of a loom having twenty shuttles is illustrated, twelve shuttles Il) being shown in the figure. 'I'he warp threads II, I2 form sheds in which the shuttles The shuttles are maintained in position every fifth universal joint IIS a bevel gear 'I8 is secured to one of the shafts and is driven by means of an intermeshing bevel I9, so that, round the'whole circle of the loom, there are four driving Ypoints for the twenty shuttles. The shafts I5 are connected together to form an endless chain round the loom, so that the drive from each pair of bevels I8, I9 is evenly distributed in both directions. On account of the fact that several shafts I5 are driven from each driving point the shafts should be of light weight.

At the three shuttles IUI at the top right-hand side of Figure l, the scheme .of warp shedding is illustrated. The warp threads II and .I2 pass through a reed shown at-20 in Figures 2, 3 and 4, each dent of the reed 20 having an eye 2l. Alternate warp`threads I I pass through the eyes 2 I, while the other warp threads I2 pass between the dents of the reed. In this manner the warp threads I I are constrained always to passl through the points 2l while the warp threads I2 can slip between the dents in the reed from one side of the point 2| to the other. Shedding is veffected by means of shedding wheels 22, 23, which are disposed alternately inside and outside the warp circle and act upon the warps at a point Aabove the reed 20.

The shedding means 22, 23 overlap thenose of oneshuttle and the tail of the preceding shuttle, and engage with the warp threads as the warp threads approach the tail of each shuttle deflecting them inwardly or outwardly according to whether the wheel is outside orfinside .the circle of warp threads. The pathof the threads II below the reed 20 is not affected by the shedding wheels 23, since these threads are forced to pass through the points 2I.2 The warp threads I2`however, are

pushed by the shedding wheels 22, 22 and are caused to cross past the points 2| before the shuttle has left the shed. .'Ihe normal passage of theshuttle through the warp shed is illustrated in Figure 3, whiley the deflection ofthe warp threads before the shuttle has left the shed is illustrated in Figure' 3. It will be noted that the shuttle I0 maintains the shed open in spite of the deflection of the threads over the -top of the shuttle, As-

4 between the threads II and I2 is only a narrow yone, but it is suflicient for the nose 24 of the succeeding shuttle to enter into the gap and to push the warps apart to form a sufiiciently wide shed.

\. The movements of the warp threads are shownV in FlguresH and also at the shuttles Il; in Fig' of the member 50.

ure 1 at which the warp threads are shown as if severed just beneath the line of the reed 20 in Figures 2-4. It will be noted that the threads II in Figure 1 always spring from the fabric circle shown at 25, on whichever side of the shuttle they pass, being constrained to do so by the points 2I in the dents of the reed 20. The warp threads I2 however, 'are deflected to one side or to the other of this line to form the narrow shed necessaryfor the shuttle to enter. Since the direct path of the threads II is constant, i. e. from the points 2| to the line of the fabric 25 it follows that alternate sheds will be on opposite sides of this line, and the shuttles I0 in Figure 1 are illustrated as being alternately slightly outside and slightly inside the line of thev fabric, so that they may enter sheds.

formed on opposite sides of this line. The manner in which the warps are caused to spring from one shed position to the other immediately after they have passed a shuttle enables the shuttles to follow very closely after one another. so that their number can be relatively high in relation to the size of the loom.

Figure 5 illustrates the bracket for the driving gear of the shuttle holding apparatus. The foot 21 of the bracket 28 is secured by means of bolts 29 to an annular plate 30 which runs round the loom. Each ,bracket 28 carries two of the bearings I6, the bearings having removable caps 32 for the shafts I5. The shafts I5 are-connected together by means of a universal joint IIS. One shaft I5 carries the bevel gear I8 which engages with the bevel gear I9 carried on a shaft 36. 'I'he shaft 3B is heldin a bearing 31on the bracket 28 and passes through borings 39 in the base 21 and plate 30, being driven by means of a gear 40 engaging with a circular rack 4I passing completely round the loom and rotating with the warp threads. In Figures 6 and 7 a light form o f shuttle is shown which is especially suitable 'for the purpose of the present invention. A bobbin 43 is carried upon a plate 44 which is secured to plates'45, 46 suitably shaped to separate and hold apart the warp threads. 'Ihe base -of the-shuttle comprises a Ivertical plate 41 tapered at 48.

The shuttle is maintained in position by means of the vane wheels I4 rotating on a shaft I5, the wheels being vaned s o as to pass through the warp threads I I or I2. The wheels I4 engage at the top with channels 50 secured by means of webs 5I to the. plate 41. At the bottom, the vane wheels engage with rollers 52 carried in bearings 5I secured to the plate 41.

It will be noted that there are two pairs of vane wheels I4, a roller 52 being provided between each pair. In order to support the shuttle on the'other side, a roller 55 carried in bearings 56 on the plate 41 is provided, the roller engaging through the warp threads I2 with a conical face 51 lying insidel the circle of warp's. The whole construction oi'` the shuttle is designed for lightness, for which reason the plate 41 is cut away as illustrated at 5l to reduce its weight as far as possible. At4 the front of the shuttle is carried a member acting as a nose to the shuttle and first entering the narrow warp shed. The warp shed is subsequently parted by means of ngs 6I secured to the plate bobbinl 42 passes down a channel 5I on one side of the plate 41 and through a guide eye 64 from which it is laid into the fabric.

. On account of the lightness of the shuttles, the stopping of the loom in the event of warp jamming or weft failure is facilitated, despite the greater number of shuttles.. Thus, a stop motion e thread 02 drawn from the of the type described in Jabouleys U.S. Patent No. 1,822,292 may be employed, in which the normallystationary shuttles l0, shafts l5 and ring 30 are caused to rotate with the annular gear 4I and with the warp threads. The' lightness of the shuttles, and of the driving shafts I5, and the elimination of a large proportion of the driving mechanism for such shafts gives a light stationary unit which can be rapidly brought to rotate with the warp threads, even when the speed of thehloom, that is the rate of rotation of the warps', is high. Cessation of weaving, and subsequentcomplete cessation of the rotation of the loom are then brought about at an early stage after a fault has occurred.

What We claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A circular loom comprising a plurality of shuttles, a shaft in association with each shuttle, means for connecting said shafts in a chain round the loom, vane Wheels on said shafts adapted to penertate the warps and to hold the shuttles in position in the Warp sheds. a plurality of means for driving said shafts. each adapted to drive a plurality of shafts, and a common driving member in direct engagement with each of said shaftdriving means.'

2. A circular loom comprising a plurality of shuttles, a plurality of shafts in association with said shuttles, universal joints for connecting said shafts to'form a chain round the loom, vane wheels on said shafts adapted to penetrate the warps and -to hold the shuttles in position in the warp sheds, a plurality of means for driving said shafts, each adapted to drive a plurality of shafts and a common driving member in direct engagement with each of said shaft-driving means.

3. A circular loom comprising a plurality of shuttles, a shaft in association with each shuttle, means for connecting said shafts in a chain round the loom, vane Wheels on said shafts adapted t0 penetrate the warps and to'hold the shuttles in position in the warp sheds, a plurality of means for driving said shafts, each adapted to drive a plurality of shafts, a common driving member in direct engagement with each of said shaftdriving inea-ns, and shedding means adapted to act successively-upon the warp threads before they reach the tail of a shuttle, so as to cause them to` spring into position immediately on passing said shuttle to form a new shed for the reception of the succeeding shuttle.

4. A circular loonrcomprising a plurality of shuttles of light construction, a light shaft in association with cach shuttle, means for connecting said shafts in a chain round the loom, vane wheels on said shafts adapted to penetrate the warps and to hold the shuttles in position in the warp sheds, a plurality of means 'for driving said shafts. each adapted to drive a plurality of shafts. said parts'forming a unit of small inertia readily capable of being rotated and brought to rest when desired, andv a common driving member in direct engagement with each of saidshaft-driving means.

FRANK CORBYN HALE. WILLIAM HOWARTH. 

